The Defiant: An Unbeaten Path (12 page)

“Multiple gunshot wounds to the abdomen, bleeding badly. We’ll need extra blood for sure!”

“Okay, do we need to contact next of kin?” the hospital replied.

“Yes, contact the mayor on the secondary channel and contact…”
the radio crackled and broke up.

“You broke up; you said, contact the mayor and who?” the hospital asked.

“Contact Nicholas McNeil. We found his friends.”

Undisclosed Bunker Facility, Superstition Mountains, East of Apache Junction, Arizona

“Anatoly, you keep repeating over and over again that you don’t think it’s a good idea for me to go with you. You doing so doesn’t make me change my mind any more than it did the first time. I’m going, and Karina is on my side,” Michael snapped at Anatoly.

Michael’s revelation last night was a critical clue to them finding the coordinates to the location of the Spear, but Anatoly felt it best for Michael to stay. The bunker provided security, and if he was captured by Viktor, all could be lost.

“Mikhail, you need to stay. We cannot risk losing you again,” Anatoly said.

“It doesn’t make sense. The trip to my brother’s will likely help my memory,” Michael said defensively.

“I agree with Michael,” Karina added.

“And how is it that you don’t have any support? You have this enormous bunker but no people or assets?” Michael challenged.

“Most of our people are either dead or out fighting against Viktor,” Anatoly explained.

“That’s true,” Karina confirmed.

“Anatoly, I’m going, so let’s get going. We don’t have much time,” Michael said.

Anatoly stared at Michael; he had the power to stop him but decided to give in.

“I’ll have clothes and equipment sent to your room; get yourself ready. We leave in two hours,” Anatoly said and marched off, leaving Karina and Michael standing in the conference room.

“I hope my brother is there. Seeing him will help me, I know it,” Michael said, his face clearly showing his happiness.

Karina leaned in gave him a kiss on the lips. “I’m happy for you; I hope your brother is there too.”

Michael returned the kiss. He then pulled back and asked, “What did Anatoly mean when he said I was more than a CIA agent?”

“I was curious when you were going to ask about that,” Karina said.

“Well?”

“For someone who lost their memory, everything we’ve told you sounds strange, so this will just add to it. You are more than anything you’ve ever been in your life. It’s in your blood to serve and protect,” she said and chuckled.

“What’s so funny?”

“Just that I’m having this conversation with you once again. I told you about your legacy a couple years ago when we met in Budapest. I remember when I first saw your handsome and beautiful face. Now look at you, it’s covered in bruises and cuts, and that wonderful strong nose of yours is broken,” she said and again laughed.

“Is my face that messed up now it’s funny?”

“When you and I became intimate, I told you that I’d stop seeing you if you lost your teeth.”

Michael touched his teeth as if he might have forgotten whether he’d lost any recently.

“They’re all there, you’re lucky; otherwise yesterday would not have happened,” she teased.

The more she talked, the more his attraction grew for her. He could see why they were engaged, he was totally enthralled with her.

“Sorry, I digressed. Your legacy has always been to protect the Spear and other powerful relics. Your father did it, and you were then given the responsibility for your family.”

“What about Nicholas?”

“Only the oldest child is given the task; he knows nothing about this.”

“How do you know this Spear is real or that it has power?” Michael asked, genuinely curious but also highly skeptical.

“Faith.”

“Like religious?”

“More like spiritual.”

“But you don’t know for sure this Spear actually holds the power you say it does?”

“All we know is what we’ve been told. We are the Knights of the Sacred Antiquities, but we just call ourselves the Knights.”

Michael cracked a broad smile.

She punched him and asked, “Now what do you think is so funny?”

“Knights of the Sacred Antiquities, really? It sounds so Indiana Jones or something out of a fantasy novel.”

“This is exactly how you acted before.”

“You have to admit, it all sounds so…”

“So what?”

“Silly.”

Her jovial and playful expression suddenly changed. “There’s nothing silly about it. It’s not a game. We’ve lost many of our Knights protecting the ancient relics and a good number trying to protect you. There’s nothing silly about what Viktor has done and will do.”

Michael couldn’t help but feel that this was all so odd and that Viktor had to be a mad and delusional man. Regardless of whether the Spear was truly powerful, Viktor thought it was and would stop at nothing to get it.

“How exactly did Viktor get so powerful that he came into possession of a super-EMP?” Michael asked, shifting his questions to something else.

“Viktor was once the Russian defense minister, so it was rather easy for him.”

“But why cause so much chaos and destruction? Why not just get the spear first, do it covertly?”

“His plan has always been to take over the world with or without the spear. He thought it easier to complete his task of finding it if the world was turned on itself.”

Michael’s head was again swimming with endless questions. He looked up at the clock and saw they had burned too much time. “Let’s continue this conversation later; we have a long drive.”

“Drive? We’re not driving anywhere. We’ll be at your brother’s house by early afternoon.”

“We’re flying?”

“As the old Michael use to say, that’s how we roll.”

Vista, CA

Vincent had risen with the sun and went to work preparing an elaborate breakfast for Bridgette and Noah. He knew she might turn him away, but at least he’d make an attempt at providing comfort for them in their time of need.

After finding a basket in the garage and loading up everything, he made his way towards their house. The first thing he saw that made him feel uneasy about his little sojourn there was that their gate was unlocked and slightly ajar. He knew for a fact that when he left, he closed and secured it. Immediately his training kicked in as he surveyed the area, looking for anything out of place, but all seemed fine.

He pulled down the driveway, and off to the side of the house, he saw a pile of freshly dug dirt and a shovel. He knew it was Ron’s grave even without seeing the homemade cross lying on the ground. He stopped just out front and took a few seconds to look around, again seeing if something seemed out of place, but not finding one thing.

He opened the door and as usual climbed out carefully, ensuring his foot didn’t bump anything. The day could not come soon enough for his foot to heal, but a broken bone took time, and until then he’d have to keep adjusting and adapting. Vincent slung his rifle and began his slow advance towards the house on his crutches. The temptation to holler out for them came, but he didn’t want to draw attention to his approach just in case. He reached the front door and tried the handle only to find it locked. The blinds in a window to the right of him were up; he leaned over and looked in. He saw the couch he had slept on looked exactly like he had left it, the pillow and blanket still there.

“Noah?” Bridgette called from inside.

By the sound of her voice, she didn’t seem in trouble, so Vincent decided to knock.

Bridgette’s head appeared in the right window. She glared at him and went to the door, unlocked and opened it.

“Hi,” Vincent said.

“What do you want?”

“I was thinking you’d be hungry, so I made a big breakfast and brought it over.”

She looked at him and said, “I told you, we’re fine.”

“Listen, it’s just a neighborly gesture. I’m not asking to eat with you.”

Bridgette ignored what he said and began to close the door.

He stuck his foot in the door jamb, stopping it from closing, “Please, at least give the fresh food to Noah.”

“Get your foot out of the way,” she barked.

“So that’s it, this is how you treat the man who gives you medicine and then tried to help by performing surgery on your dying husband. Once I’m not needed, you act like this. Let me tell you, if you think your conduct will keep you alive, it won’t.”

“I don’t care to live anymore, so I don’t give two shits.”

“And Noah, what about him? Are you also making up his mind for him?” Vincent shot back.

“He’s my son.”

“He’s a scared young boy, and if you gave a damn, you’d think twice about what you’re doing.”

“Just leave me alone!” she yelled.

Vincent opened his mouth to speak but stopped when Noah’s yells echoed from the far end of the driveway.

“Help, Mom, help!” Noah screamed.

Vincent pivoted and saw the boy racing over the rise in the driveway at breakneck speed. Not wasting time to see what or who he was running from, Vincent pulled his pistol, handed it to Bridgette and ordered, “Take this, just in case you can’t get to your other in time.”

She too didn’t hesitate; she took it and held it firmly in her grip.

Vincent still couldn’t see why Noah was running, but whatever it was had the boy terrified. He hobbled away from the front door and towards his SUV.

Finally the reason Noah was running appeared over the hill. A pair of old motorcycles, one with a sidecar, sped down the driveway and were closing on Noah.

Vincent dropped his crutches, raised his rifle and leaned against the SUV. He took aim through his optics on the motorcycle in front while simultaneously flicking off the selector switch. His right index finger began to apply a steady pressure to the trigger until it discharged. The round hit the person driving squarely, causing them to slump forward, which turned the handlebars and the motorcycle into the path of the other. Both motorcycles collided in spectacular fashion. The person driving the second bike flew over their handlebars and landed helmet first into the gravel road. The person tucked in the sidecar found themselves bouncing around as it tumbled end over end, finally resting upside down.

Noah didn’t stop running; he made it to Vincent and kept moving until he reached Bridgette.

Vincent couldn’t help but be impressed with what one shot had accomplished. He stepped away from the SUV and picked up a single crutch. “Go inside, lock the door, and wait for me to come back!” he ordered Bridgette and Noah. He slowly hobbled towards the wreckage, using one crutch to minimize using his broken foot while keeping the rifle ready in his shoulder. It wasn’t the easiest thing to do, but he made it work. The first thing he came upon was the person who had flown over their handlebars.

They were alive but appeared badly injured as they slowly crawled, clenching the gravel with their gloved hands.

Vincent leveled his rifle at them and asked, “Any more with you?”

The person rolled onto their side and pulled off their helmet.

Vincent wasn’t expecting it to be a woman.

“Help,” she begged. Blood streamed from a deep cut on her forehead.

“Help?”

A cry from the sidecar drew Vincent’s attention. He looked over and saw the person squirming underneath the weight of the sidecar.

“My son, help him,” the woman pleaded.

Vincent was in shock. He’d fully expected to find three deranged men, but so far he’d come across a middle-aged woman and what sounded like a teenage boy.

The woman was clad from head to toe in tight black leather. She reached up with a quivering hand and began to unzip her jacket.

Vincent kicked her hand away and nearly lost his balance. “Don’t do anything stupid. Are there others with you?”

She nodded that there was.

“Where are they?”

“Help my son,” was her only reply.

The cries for help grew louder from underneath the sidecar.

Vincent firmed up his stance and asked, “Are you armed?”

“No,” she said as the blood covered her face. She swallowed hard and again begged, “Please go help my son.”

“Open your jacket; I need to make sure you’re not armed.”

The woman reached up and began to slowly unzip the jacket.

The cries from the sidecar grew even more intense.

“How far are your friends?” Vincent asked.

“I’ll tell you, but you have to help my son,” she countered.

The woman’s expression suddenly changed as she looked past Vincent.

He turned and saw Bridgette coming; she was marching towards them, her feet stomping hard. She held the pistol tightly in her right hand.

“I said to stay in the house,” Vincent said.

The woman unzipped quickly and went for a pistol tucked in her waistband.

Bridgette leveled the pistol and pulled the trigger twice. Both bullets hit the woman in the chest.

Vincent jumped back and, like a spectator, watched Bridgette kill the woman then move towards the sidecar.

“What are you doing?” Vincent asked.

“Doing what you’re obviously incapable of,” she answered then stopped at the sidecar and pulled the trigger several more times, killing the boy.

“That was a boy!” Vincent cried.

She turned back around and began to march back. As she passed him, she said, “That wasn’t a boy, that was a monster.”

“How do you know?”

She stopped and said, “Ask Noah what happened; then tell me what I did was wrong.”

Wellsville, Utah

For the second time in days, Nicholas was confronted with another death from his group and the task of telling their loved one; this time it was Abigail.

The small clinic that served as the Wellsville hospital buzzed with activity. The news that some of their own had been hurt traveled fast. Townspeople had heeded the call for blood and were flooding in to donate.

Nicholas had seen Chad come in, but didn’t get a chance to speak to him. The mayor was rushed through the crowd and disappeared down the hall.

The information Nicholas had gotten from the Wellsville security team that had been on site was sketchy, but it appeared that Bryn and Rob opened fire on Brock and a small team after being confronted near the old Dodge. From the few details and how Nicholas was being treated, it sounded as if Bryn and Rob were to blame and were the first to fire.